1 And in the first year of Cyrus*+ the king of Persia, that Jehovah’s word from the mouth of Jeremiah+ might be accomplished, Jehovah roused+ the spirit of Cyrus the king of Persia so that he caused a cry+ to pass through all his realm, and also in writing,+ saying:

5 Then the heads+ of the fathers of Judah and of Benjamin and the priests and the Levites rose up, even everyone whose spirit+ the [true] God had roused, to go up and rebuild the house of Jehovah,+ which was in Jerusalem.

6 Accordingly he answered and said to me: “This is the word of Jehovah to Ze·rubʹba·bel, saying, ‘“Not by a military force,*+ nor by power,*+ but by my spirit,”*+ Jehovah of armies has said.

13 for God is the one that, for the sake of [his] good pleasure, is acting within YOU+ in order for YOU both to will and to act.+